A Helping Hand
by RedYote
Summary: Shepard's been working herself to exhaustion and has the crew of the Normandy worried.  Can Liara help the Commander with her problems?
1. Notice of Trouble

Author's Notes:

Another Ferik Shepard x Liara T'soni fic. This fic was actually written before Pieces, so it may be a bit rougher in spots. Also, Chapter 3 seems to be having some issues in the uploader. I have no idea why, but the site support has been alerted to it, so hopefully this will move from 'in-progress' to 'complete' soonish. If it takes more than a few days, I may break up Chapter 3 a bit more. (It is rather...long compared to the others.)

Until then, enjoy. :)

Edit: Breaking Chapter 3 up into two parts seemed to do the trick. Now if it'll just show up...

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><p>Liara sat down heavily at her console. It had been a busy few weeks to control the vast empire that was the Shadow Broker's legacy. Day and night she had toiled over this machine, piecing together bits that could be helpful to the Normandy and her crew. For the past week, she had woken up on the couch with a blanket tucked around her and no memory of how she'd gotten there from the console. Feron was a good friend, perhaps better than she deserved. He'd risked everything with her to retrieve Shepard's body, and endured two years of torture because of that decision.<p>

Shepard. The asari let out a sigh, pushing herself away from the lines of data. She had promised not to be a stranger, but that was before the responsibilities of her job had eaten her head. The Shadow Broker's network was immense, dwarfing her operation on Ilium by several exponents. Then again, he'd had a lot longer than her to set it up.

There had been no restrictions on the data access, no hidden passwords to crack; it made settling into the role of the Shadow Broker easy. Almost too easy. There was nothing going on in the galaxy that Liara T'soni could not find out about through at least a dozen different contacts. Manipulation of those scenarios was easier still. She relied on her agents for secrecy, but they ultimately were nothing more than pawns. Replaceable.

She shook her head, getting to her feet and starting to pace. No. This wasn't her. She had lost part of herself when the Normandy had broken apart, lost part of herself when Joker finally turned on the comm in his life support pod to break the news that the Commander had not made it. But now...Shepard was alive again. She hadn't believed the reports coming into her office on Ilium when the first sightings had happened; too many false positives, too many times of chasing down the leads only to find that the source was out of their mind or had thought they'd seen a ghost. It had hardened her, those two years of mourning.

Seeing Shepard standing in her doorway, flanked by Tali and an unknown face... She'd barely been able to control herself enough to keep from vaulting her desk and dragging the human down to the floor. Two years of mourning... The niggling thought that the person standing in her doorway was an imposter sent to kill her had crossed her mind, but not with Tali there. Tali'Zorah vas Neemah would not have followed a look-alike.

The Spectre had a few new scars on her face, but that was to be expected after Cerberus' reconstruction. If the only mark of bringing someone back from the dead was a few scars, Liara would pay that price and more several times over. Her smile, her eyes, her breath, her lips... The kiss they had shared in the office had been entirely too brief, but people were watching her. Always watching her. She wasn't going to let Shepard be pulled into her politics.

Except she had. Shepard had gone and volunteered to help like she always had. Stubborn and persistent...only a few of the qualities that had drawn Liara towards her like a star towards a black hole. It was hard enough to keep things professional between the two of them, but barriers had started breaking down when Shepard gave her intel on the Shadow Broker.

Liara massaged her temples. After some of the things she had said, she hadn't expected the Spectre to stick around. Frustration combined with stress had led her to lash out at the one person who she least wanted to hurt. Most people would have walked away at that point. Not Shepard. Not Commander Ferik Shepard.

She made her way back over to the console, fingers drumming across keys with a practiced ease. A picture of Shepard filled her view, green eyes still as vibrant as ever. Maybe Feron was right. Maybe she did need a vacation.

A few more keytaps brought the VI over to her side, the floating orb eagerly awaiting orders. "What is your wish, Shadow Broker?" Part of her wasn't certain she was ever going to get used to being referred to as the Shadow Broker; however, part of her was afraid she would. "Current coordinates of the Normandy SR-2."

The VI whirred for a moment. "Current coordinates of the Normandy SR-2: Hourglass Nebula, Sowilo System."

_They're nearby? _

Trying to contain her excitement, the asari forced herself to take a deep breath and let it out. "Purpose of visit?"

"Right now, Shadow Broker, it appears they are in orbit around Hagalaz. You have some correspondence from the Normandy if you wish to read it."

Liara could feel her heart beating faster. She hadn't expected them to come here; it had been several weeks since she had last seen the red-headed human. Not that it wasn't appreciated, of course.

"Pull it up on the console, please."

"Certainly, Shadow Broker." In a few moments, Liara had the letter in front of her eyes. It wasn't from Shepard, though it was from someone she considered rather close. Dr. Chakwas and she had had a few chats about their respective lives when Shepard had been off on missions, and the asari had found a unlikely companion in the older woman.

Her eyes skimmed the words, half-reading the lines. She had gone through so much data since the yahg's death that it was almost exhausting to peruse a simple communication. This one, though, was no simple correspondence. It dealt with Shepard.

She paused, lips tightening. Shepard was working herself harder than ever and starting to snap at the crew for it. This didn't sound like the Commander she'd left a few weeks ago smiling and breathless in the Normandy's loft. Chakwas was worried enough to send her a letter about the situation, which meant that not even the medic knew how to deal with it.

Liara didn't even bother to close the letter before running up the stairs and into the back room. She had a mission.

* * *

><p>Feron was bent over the video console when Liara walked in, checking in on a few of the feeds they had set. The drell glanced up from his task and blinked owlishly at the sight before his eyes; the asari was disrobing as fast as possible with no regard for anyone who might catch a glimpse of her body. Feron averted his gaze and cleared his throat, a slight blush darkening his cheeks.<p>

"Might I know the reason for this unexpected visit and your lack of clothing?"

Liara glanced at his back. She didn't have time for modesty right now. She was needed elsewhere, and as far as she was concerned, speed was of the essence. "I need you to take over operations for a little bit. I have some business to take care of."

"Business?" The surprise made Feron look over his shoulder. Thankfully, Liara was just tugging on a shirt and filling a small bag with a few more articles of clothing. An N-7 shirt, the drell noticed with a bit of interest. "How long will you be gone?"

"Unknown. You know how to get in touch with me if something comes up."

The drell turned to face her completely, eyebrow rising. "Liara. Can you explain further, or are you going to leave me to pick out the mystery on my own?"

The asari's eyes met his own, and Feron unconsciously inhaled. The look in those deep blue eyes...he would not have wanted to face her on a battlefield right now. "Shepard's not doing well. The Normandy is in orbit around Hagalaz right now waiting for my arrival. A friend requested my presence, and I'm going."

Feron nodded. It certainly explained Liara's mood; he still remembered what she was like when they were trying to rescue Shepard's body. Sadness mixed with determination. The fierce spark in those blue eyes, refusing to give in even against the odds. The chances that Shepard could be brought back were slim, but still Liara had been willing to sacrifice everything to retrieve her lover's body, to keep the hope alive. "I'll keep the place running while you're gone."

"I appreciate it." Liara shouldered the bag; she was almost to the door when Feron interrupted her.

"One more thing." The asari glanced over her shoulder. "Yes?"

He managed a smile. "Take as long as you need, Liara."

Liara nodded, returning the smile. "I appreciate it, Feron."

Then she was gone, and Feron was left with his thoughts echoing around the empty room, the machines his only company. A small sigh escaped him. Two years of intermittent torture for the theft of Shepard's body. Two years of not knowing whether Liara still lived. Then she had come back for him... No, -they- had come back for him. Her and Shepard. He had seen the look pass between them, had excused himself from the room with Shepard's companion to give them some privacy.

Fingers tapped across the console, pulling up the next vid in the sequence as a sad smile tugged at his lips. "She was taken before you ever met her," he reminded himself, looking up at the frozen camera feed. "Even with Shepard's death, she was still taken."


	2. Breaking Point

**(Several hours earlier)**

Ferik was starting to get annoyed. Not a day had gone by this week that someone wasn't suggesting that she was working herself too hard.

It was sad, really. She'd chased down a rogue Spectre, saved the Council, come back from death and destroyed a Collector base, and only -now- people were questioning if she was working herself too hard?

'Don't want the tool to burn out when the galaxy isn't threatened,' she thought bitterly, stalking through the engineering decks. Kelly had been the first to bring it up, a gentle reminder that had grown a bit more insistent as the Commander paced from deck to deck without rest. By the third day Shepard had been so irritated by the reminders that she'd snapped and told the yeoman to mind her own business. Kelly, poor naive Kelly, had pushed the matter by saying that the Commander's well-being was her business. The counselor had narrowly avoided the tablet thrown at her head before Shepard went stalking through the doors into the armory.

Kasumi had mentioned something about it when Ferik walked into the port observation deck to pour herself a drink after dealing with Kelly. "That's, what, your third one in the past few hours? Maybe you should take it easy." Shepard had merely grunted before filling the glass to the top and downing the contents in one quick go. "You could always go work out with Jacob," the thief merrily continued as she slid off the couch and approached her, oblivious to the woman's growing anger. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind getting a good look at your-"

"Will you knock it off?" The retort had been sharp and unexpected, and Kasumi had instinctively taken a few steps back.

"Shepard, are you alright?" The eyes under the hood had been concerned. Concern was the last thing she wanted right now.

"I'm -fine-." She'd slammed the glass down hard enough to crack it and stomped out of the room, leaving the thief cringing against the window in her wake.

Word had traveled around the ship quickly, and by the end of the week Shepard had snapped at almost every single one of her team. Garrus had been sent back to engineering practically cowering; the Spectre had told him that if he hadn't bothered to tear himself away from his damned calibrations and notice something before, then he had no bloody right to start asking now. Zaeed and Jack had stayed out of her way, both of them recognizing the look in her eyes and having no intention of being near someone that pissed off at the world. Jacob had made the mistake of asking while she was cleaning her guns and gotten the muzzle of a pistol shoved under his chin. He'd made a habit of being elsewhere when she was in the armory now.

As Shepard stepped off the elevator onto the third deck and headed towards the medical bay, the chatter of the crew that had been prevalent died quickly upon sight of their Commander and the scowl on her face. The doors hissed open to Tali and Dr. Chakwas looking over several notes. Both of them looked up on her arrival.

"Something you need, Shepard?" Dr. Chakwas was, as always, completely unphased by the sight of a soldier with a chip on her shoulder. She'd been an Alliance doctor for too many years to let someone's mood affect her or her work.

"Mind telling the crew to back the hell off? I've had half the team up my ass asking me what's wrong, and I don't feel like dealing with it at the moment." The doctor raised an eyebrow at her even as Tali mumbled an apology and fled to the AI core to escape the Commander's wrath. Even dealing with Legion was a safer bet than a pissed off Shepard.

"Is there something wrong?"

Ferik twitched hard, fist slamming into the desk. Dr. Chakwas just stood up and made her way over to the Commander to lay a soothing hand on her shoulder.

"Nothing is wrong." Shepard managed through gritted teeth. Dr. Chakwas shook her head.

"That may fly with the rest of your crew, but not with me. You've been storming around the decks all week."

"I said, I'm fine!" The Spectre turned, a snarl forming on her lips. It died in the face of the ship's medic scowling heavily at her.

"You will -not- take that tone with me. Your team has a right to be concerned. You've been working yourself too hard and taking it out on the rest of the crew."

Shepard felt a retort rising in her, but the sensation of the older woman's hand grabbing her by the back of her armor killed it just as quickly. "You came storming into my medical bay obviously wanting attention, so you're going to get it." All eyes turned and stared as the commander was marched out of the medical bay by Dr. Chakwas, guided over to the kitchen, and sat forcibly down on one of the stools. Even the mess sergeant was gaping.

"Gardner." The sergeant snapped to attention. "Ma'am!"

"If you would be so kind, please cook up a meal for Commander Shepard and do not let her leave until she has finished every last bit of it. If she should try and sneak off before she's done, let me know and I'll handle it." The medic fixed Ferik with a warning glare before disappearing back into the medical bay, doors snapping shut behind her.

Shepard was too much in shock from being shot down by Dr. Chakwas to notice the glance that had been exchanged between the medic and the cook, and the vial of liquid that even now was being mixed into her 'special' meal.

She barely noticed when the food was set in front of her until Gardner got her attention. "You might want to eat before the doctor comes back out here," he murmured, handing her a fork. She nodded numbly, digging in without a second thought. The mess sergeant looked up, meeting Chakwas' eyes through the medbay windows, and gave her a slight nod. The doctor returned the gesture and began typing out a message to send once she was sure Shepard was upstairs.

Shepard had barely made it up the elevator before collapsing on her bed in a heap. She'd felt fine before the meal. No, that was a lie. She'd been a force of nature around the decks, a typhoon of emotion that threatened to rip apart anything in its path before Dr. Chakwas had challenged the storm. Now that she'd eaten and been herded up to her quarters, she realized how tired she was. She still had so many things to do before she could sleep, though. She had to check on the engines, had to make sure Joker was remembering to eat between trading quips with EDI, had to...

She just managed to shimmy out of her vest and pants before the sedative took over.

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><p>The shuttle ride up to the Normandy was nerve-wracking. Liara could hear the groaning of the hull against the storm, and she had to hope that the last maintenance on this ship had been thorough. The storms on Hagalaz would rip it apart otherwise.<p>

'Like the Collector beam did the Normandy.' The thought flitted across her mind before she could stop it. 'No. Anything but that.' She bit her lower lip, tasting a bit of blood as her eyes closed in silent reflection. It felt like hours of praying to the Goddess for safe passage before she broke the atmosphere and the sleek shape of the Normandy came into view. The comm crackled into life.

"Shuttle from Hagalaz, this is the Normandy. That you, Liara, or did one of your liutenants decide to take the craft out for a joyride?"

The asari had to chuckle. Joker had earned his nickname well. "It's me, Joker. Dr. Chakwas told me what was going on."

The pilot's tone turned serious. "I'm glad to hear your voice, Liara. The Commander... Well, you'll figure it out when you get on board. She's up in her quarters right now, and EDI says that she should be asleep by now, though no guarantee when the sedative will wear off." There was a sigh. "Opening the doors for you. Elevator will be to your right; just take it straight up. Good luck."

"Understood. Thanks, Joker."

"No, thank -you-, Liara. You manage to fix whatever mood she's in, and I'll make you breakfast for a week."

The elevator was easy enough to find in the shuttle bay, though she did turn a few heads as she passed. It was a bit hard not to; after all, it wasn't every day that an asari landed on the Normandy, especially not one dressed the way she was.

Shepard and she were roughly the same size, and the Commander had once joked that the sight of Liara wearing her clothes was a rather attractive one. The asari might have nicked some of her clothing after that comment, fully intending to call Ferik's buff. Shorts hugged the curve of her bottom, and the N-7 t-shirt that kept her modesty intact still smelled like Shepard after a workout.

Liara ignored the looks and whispers traveling around the bay. She was here for one person and one alone. Let the rumors circulate through the ship. It was common knowledge that she and Shepard had a history, and the looks they had given each other on the asari's last visit were not ones that simple friendship evoked.

It was a short enough ride up to the Captain's quarters, the doors hissing open for her without any challenge. That was probably EDI's doing. Liara doubted Shepard would be okay with crew members sneaking up here while she was asleep. She had to wonder if Yeoman Chambers had ever tried it; that human could make an Ardat-Yakshi blush.

The lights had been dimmed a bit, but it was still enough to see by. Liara placed her bag softly on the floor before quietly making her way past the fish tanks and down the few steps to the bedroom. The tiling was cold under her bare feet, but she barely felt it with her eyes focused on the figure in the bed.

Even in sleep, Shepard looked exhausted. There were a few lines etched in her face, dark circles under her eyes, and even her normally vibrant crimson hair had grown lackluster. The scar that she'd had on her left cheek since Liara had first met her stood out starkly, a reminder of her time on the streets of Earth. In addition, there were a few glowing orange lines that had appeared along her brows and other cheek; Liara remembered Dr. Chakwas explaining the reconstruction behind Shepard's rebirth and how stress could aggravate the synthetics now embedded in the Spectre's skin.

The asari bit her lower lip. Was this because of her, or was it something else causing her lover distress? She slid quietly onto the bed next to Shepard, being careful not to disturb the human, and began tracing the exposed skin of her arms with light, feathery caresses.


	3. Dreams and Waking

__Author's Note:

So, splitting Chapter Three up into two seperate chapters somehow managed to make the uploader happy.

This is a mature story, but this and the next chapter will contain Liara and Shepard sexytimes.

You have been warned. Enjoy!

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><p><em>Screaming. So much screaming...<em>

_The fires of the refinery leapt about them. She could hear the cries of the workers as she ran away from them, leaving them to their fiery demise. If only Zaeed hadn't... They had to stop the Blue Sun leader. That would prevent anyone else from facing this fate._

_'You could still save us!' The accusations battered her more than the bullets thudding against her kinetic shield. 'I can't. I can't...'_

#

_The smell of death hung over the battlefield like fog. That sharp metallic tang of blood mixed with the cloying sweet smell of decaying flesh..._

_The Thresher Maws had exploded from the ground all around them. They hadn't stood a chance, not against that many. Their squad leader had been one of the last to go, screaming orders before the jaws snapped over his body. Then there was nothing but a sickening crunch._

_She had run. She had run until her lungs burned, hearing the screams of her dying comrades echoing in her ears. 'Save us! Oh gods, please, save us!'_

_'You're already dead! Your bodies are in pieces; there's no way you can survive!'_

_'You didn't even try!' The skittering of the Thresher Maws was getting closer; they were still hungry and eager for more prey. 'Coward!'_

_The ground erupted in front of her, throwing her to the side. Her head slammed against a rock, and she saw stars in front of her helmet. The roar deafened her; was this how she was going to die?_

_The jaws had come down, and she had lobbed her entire grenade belt into the creature's mouth before half-stumbling, half-running with all she had. Her muscles screamed, her head throbbed, her mouth was dry..._

_The explosion had ripped through her kinetic shield and slammed into her like a sledgehammer, picking her off the ground and throwing her like a piece of trash._

_'Can't...not going to...' Through the blurred haze of her vision she could see the dropship. The ground vibrated under her. She had to. Her body was nothing but a wave of agony, but she had to keep going._

_Couldn't let them die for nothing..._

#

_The wail of the klaxons in her ears was overpowering. She had fought her way to the console, but there had been no time to warn the colonies of their impending doom. No time to tell them to evacuate._

_No time._

_She had barely shut down the reactor overload in time; several bullets had made sure that Kenson would not interfere further. The look in her eyes..._

_How far gone had Kenson been? Even Matriarch Benezia had something left inside her at the end; did Amanda Kenson understand why she had done what she had done?_

_The Normandy had picked her up just in time; she had made her way to the galaxy map just in time to see the asteroid hit the mass relay._

_Three hundred thousand. An entire inhabited solar system._

_No survivors._

_No...survivors..._

#

_His voice was calm on the radio. Both of them were calm. It was what made her next words so hard. _

_She'd told them no one got left behind. Not on her squad. Not after Akuze. Not after what happened there._

_But here she was, condemning one of her squad to death because she couldn't manage to be in two places at once. Just like Akuze. _

"_I'm sorry, Kaiden." Each word felt like a knife piercing her heart. Kaiden had feelings for her, feelings she had started to reciprocate before Liara came into her life. If only she hadn't sent him off with the other squad..._

_No. It wouldn't be any easier leaving Ash behind. But this felt so damned personal, like his interest in her was why she was leaving him to the geth._

"_No hard feelings, Commander." His voice was calm, but Ferik could feel the silent accusations battering at her with every step she took back to the nuke and Ashley. _

'_Leaving me for an asari, and now leaving me to die. I see what I meant to you.' _

_She would spend the next few hours after the mission locked in her quarters, curled up into a ball. It'd been fairly easy to convince Ashley that Kaiden's death wasn't her fault. It wouldn't be so easy to convince herself._

#

_Not fast enough. Never fast enough. The Thresher Maw's jaws were closing about her, suffocating her, its jaws wearing down the kinetic shields surrounding her combat armor. Soon there would be nothing but the armor left, and beyond that vulnerable flesh. She could hear the voices of the dead calling out to her, reaching for her with translucent hands._

_'You can't run from the truth. Coward. Butcher. Murderer...'_

#

'No. It's just a dream. Just a dream. Just a...'

As Shepard fought her way back to consciousness, she realized that there was a pressure around her waist and back that had not been there when she had fallen asleep.

_It's come for me..._

With a half-strangled yell, she twisted around, throwing a clumsy punch at her unseen enemy. She wasn't going down without a fight. Not after the hell she'd been through.

However, her punch never connected, paused a few centimeters in front of azure skin and held there by a tingling force. Ferik's terror-stricken green eyes met deep pools of blue set above a smattering of freckles.

"...L-Liara?"

The asari smiled softly, bringing a hand up to stroke Shepard's sweat-slicked hair. "Welcome back to consciousness."

"But what...how..." The adrenaline and fear that had been surging through her was starting to quiet into muddied confusion. The sedative hadn't worn off yet.

"Dr. Chakwas sent me a message. She was worried about you."

"Worried about..." Liara's fingers gently traced her cheeks, leaving soft plumes of color in their wake.

"You've been working yourself to the bone."

Ferik exhaled slowly, closing her eyes. "You...don't need to worry about it. You have more important things to concentrate on, like the Shadow Broker information."

Liara's fingers tightened in the human's tank top, and Shepard felt herself forcefully pulled forward and against the asari's body. She swallowed reflexively, opening her eyes timidly to blazing azure orbs. In the two years that she had been dead, the quiet asari scientist had been replaced by someone who was used to commanding authority.

"Being Shadow Broker may be a dream job, but I'd destroy the base myself if it cost me you. Do you understand?" Liara's voice was quiet, but held a fierce intensity that Ferik could not deny.

"I...yes."

"Good." Her grip relaxed as a hand came up to push some of Ferik's hair out of her face. "Now. Mind telling me what's going on, or is it going to take a melding to coax it out of you?"

Shepard shivered slightly at the threat. Feeling the asari in that way, closer to her than anyone had ever been, was both incredibly sensual and terrifying. There were no secrets when they were joined. Not even Shepard's carefully crafted shields that kept the majority of people out of her private thoughts could withstand Liara's gentle probes in that state.

"Just some bad dreams." Ferik mumbled, looking down.

"What kind of bad dreams?" A finger under her chin coaxed her eyes back to the asari's.

_The kind that make me never want to sleep again._

Shepard grimaced. She should be able to handle this on her own. Liara had other things to worry about besides coming up here and babysitting her. She'd have to talk with Dr. Chakwas, Joker, and whoever else was in on this after she apologized to the asari for wasting her time.

"Everyone has nightmares, Liara. That's all they a-"

Her thought was cut off by the sensation of soft lips pushing softly against her own. Ferik felt her heart skip a beat before her eyes closed and she was kissing back, arms wrapping instinctively around the other woman. Her mind was still muddied by the drug, but she could feel Liara's biotics starting to travel up her nerves and wake her up even as the asari's leg brushed against her calf.

"I know you better than that." A soft rebuke, lips still moving against hers and sweet breath exhaling into her mouth. "No secrets, Ferik."

"No secrets," she repeated, reluctantly leaving the asari's lips and burying her head into the crook of her lover's neck. Quite a few people might have laughed at her if they knew the truth: Commander Ferik Shepard, the savior of the galaxy, the survivor of Akuze, the fearless leader, only ever felt safe when she was wrapped in a certain asari's arms.

Before she had met Liara, she had just steeled herself against the galaxy, putting up shields to keep herself strong. But the asari scientist she had rescued on Therum had gradually bypassed those barriers, peeling back layer after layer to see past the masks she wore around the Alliance, around the Council, even around the crew. At first, Shepard hadn't known what drew her to the quiet asari who tended to keep to herself in the room beyond the medical bay. It wasn't simply the alien aspect that intrigued her: Garrus, Wrex, and even Tali had befriended her well enough, but there was something more to Liara.

Maybe it was that unlike most of her peers, Liara hadn't chosen a life as an exotic dancer or a commando. She'd buried herself in her research about the Protheans, choosing knowledge over social skills. Shepard still remembered asking her about it and the flicker of pain across Liara's eyes as she explained about the prejudice her culture had for purebloods. It had sparked something deep within the Spectre, something that went beyond mere protection of someone she considered a civilian.

Ashley had never quite understood why Ferik had chosen Liara over Kaiden. Kaiden was an Alliance soldier, a good-looking guy, a sweet guy, but Liara? Liara was an alien, a scientist who had gotten herself trapped and now just wanted to study the Commander for whatever Prothean secrets lay in her head. Shepard still remembered those fights in the shuttle bay where she'd had to pull rank on Williams just to get her to shut up and listen for a moment. Ashley's xenophobia ran as deep as her loyalties to her family and the Alliance, and there had been a few times that Shepard had been deeply grateful that Liara preferred to isolate herself from the rest of the crew instead of seeking to socialize with them.

What none of them understood outside of Liara and herself was that every time they had melded so Liara could piece together the bits and pieces of the vision, there was a bit more that the asari saw that had nothing to do with the Protheans. When Liara had admitted this to her, Shepard had felt betrayed and almost stormed out of the medical bay. It had taken a promise not to leave until the scientist had explained what had happened and fifteen minutes of explanation before Ferik had calmed down. Shepard wasn't entirely sure why she had reacted so violently: perhaps it was the idea that someone besides her could access her deepest, darkest secrets. She had hidden behind her shields for so long that the feeling of being exposed to another person like that almost made her refuse to give Liara access to her mind when they found another piece of the relic.

But, what had seemed terrifying to the commander at first was a gift in disguise that Ferik came to realize as they chased Saren across the galaxy. Liara was curious about her from the snippets she had seen while looking at the Prothean visions, but would not push her further than she was willing to go. Over time, Shepard had found herself opening up more and more to Liara, and the asari had simply listened, letting her get out her innermost fears and worries without judgement. One by one, the outer shields had crumbled around Liara as Shepard spent more of her free time in the room beyond the medical bay, talking research and culture with one of the few non-miltary personnel on the ship.

By the time Kaiden dragged Liara to the communication room and confronted Ferik about her feelings, the two shared a bond that could have only been broken by death. Kaiden had been willing to open up to his commander, but the idea of sharing the deepest parts of herself with him? There had never been a good time for that. There were regulations that had been drilled into both of them, regulations that they fell back on whenever the topic made either one of them uncomfortable. Liara had made time, setting aside research to let her get whatever was bothering her off her chest. There were no regulations against relaxing with a civilian, no military codes that either one was breaking to spend time together. She hadn't been lying when she told Kaiden that she cared for them both, and the suggestion of the three of them spending more time together had not gone over well. Kaiden had stormed out of the communication room, leaving the two of them exchanging glances. Shepard had been worried that she had offended Liara with the suggestion, but surprisingly the asari had not had an issue with the notion of sharing her with another.

There was no denying what the two of them shared when the Normandy was enroute to Ilos, especially not after the almost kiss they had experienced when the Normandy had been grounded at the Citadel by Udina and the Council. They were hyper-aware of each other by that point, and it was only the fact that Liara had wanted to wait that had stopped Shepard from finding the asari and dragging her off to the nearest abandoned room. Not that the thought of persuading Liara otherwise hadn't crossed her mind, but she was aware of the hesistation in the scientist's voice and the fear of breaking the bond between them. Once they crossed the line past friendship into something more, it was difficult if not downright impossible to have things ever go back to being the same if they didn't work out. Both were interested, but restrained by fear of the unknown.

Ferik still remembered seeing her in that doorway, face lit only by the display from the computers. There had been a bit of talking, but it was mostly just testing the waters to confirm what both of them already knew. The air had felt thick and unbreathable when Liara had been only a few feet away, her eyes a mix of desire and fear. It had caught the Spectre off-guard when the scientist had made the first move, closing the distance between them and dragging her into a hungry kiss. That simple action had broken the dam keeping their feelings back; the rest had been a jumbled memory of hands roaming blindly across suits, seeking the enclosures that kept their heated skin away from each other.

Their joining had been the final step: Shepard had known at that point that no matter what happened, she was Liara's. The rest of her shields had fallen as the two of them reached a shared peak, sweat mingling as their gasps and moans seemed to have no beginning or end. Their minds had brushed against one another, both exposed to the other in a way that no other person had managed before. Afterwards, they had stayed like that for what seemed like eternity, fingers quietly brushing across curves and dips before Joker's announcement of the distance to the relay had forced them to get dressed and steel themselves against what they were about to face.

Now she was nestled against her lover's skin, arms wrapped tightly around her waist, smelling that enticing musk that Liara always seemed to emit around her. Maybe it was pheremones. She'd never gotten around to asking the asari about that, but she would at some point. Slender fingers stroked back her hair, and Shepard was suddenly acutely aware that she couldn't remember the last time she had showered. There was another scent there though, one that wasn't the asari's, but still familiar to the Spectre. It smelled almost a bit musty, like a piece of clothing that hadn't been washed in a while.

Liara had been wearing something unusual. Ferik pulled back a little to get a better look and was surprised to see the N7 logo blazoned on the front of the rumpled t-shirt currently hiding Liara's form from her. "Are you wearing my shirt?" Shepard asked, eyebrow rising slightly.

The asari grinned. "Maybe."

"Since when have you had my shirt?"

There was feigned innocence in her eyes, but the dancing mischief behind them destroyed the illusion. "I might have gone through your laundry last time I was here."

"You..." Shepard scowled. "How many shirts have you stolen?"

Liara laughed, a soft pealing sound. "Just the one." Her fingers combed lightly through Shepard's hair, and the human began to feel rather self-conscious. She edged back from Liara, putting a foot or so between them.

"But...the shirt's dirty, and I'm dirty, and..."

Her lover's hand pressed against her chest firmly, putting her on her back. A few moments later, the asari straddled her hips and arched up into a stretch, bringing her chest into full prominence under the loose t-shirt. Ferik bit her lower lip, shifting a bit under Liara's weight. She had remembered mentioning off-hand that seeing Liara in her clothes would be sexy, but she hadn't quite counted on how much. Her hands unconsciously slid up the asari's sides, feeling the tensed muscles under her fingers.

"I don't care if you're dirty or not." Liara's voice was husky as she looked down at her captive lover, desire reflected in her deep blue eyes. "It's been too long since we joined. So..." She bent down, cheek sliding against Ferik's as her lips found the human's ear and kissed the curve of it. Shepard shuddered, back arching reflexively up into the information broker as she sought more contact.

The asari's voice sounded like melted honey, her breath driving away any of the sedative that still lingered in Shepard's system. "Do you want me to take you in the bed or in the shower?" A hand snuck down Ferik's side before sliding under the tank top, nails lightly tracing the skin across her abdomen.

A soft moan escaped Ferik's lips as her hands sought purchase in the asari's shirt, its state of cleanliness the farthest thing from her mind now. "Not sure if I can make it to the shower..." she admitted quietly.

"Let me handle that."

Liara slid off of her, leaving an emptiness in her wake. Shepard started to get up, but then felt the hairs on her skin standing on end as she was enveloped in a soft blue glow and lifted into the air.

"Biotics?"

The asari grinned, crooking a finger towards herself as she backed towards the stairs. Ferik followed her - well, as much as being levitated the entire way was following, anyway.

"You could just carry me," Ferik began, but trailed off as Liara paused at the top of the stairs, halting the human's forward movement as well. "What are you planning?"

Her answer was a sly grin thrown over one shoulder before the asari bent over to touch one toe, offering Shepard a full view of her butt pressing tightly into the shorts she wore. Ferik's eyes widened slightly; out of all the things she had prepared herself for, this was not at all what she had anticipated. Liara slowly brought herself back up, a ripple of muscle traveling from her bare feet to her hips as her body rolled up in a wave that rocked her hips forward and pressed her chest against the shirt in such a way that had Shepard straining to catch a glimpse. Her hands hooked under the N7 shirt she wore, tugging it up just enough to expose a smooth expanse of pale blue skin across her back to the floating human.

Shepard wasn't aware of it, but she was staring. The Reapers themselves could have come through the door at that moment, and she would have never noticed them with her eyes fixed on Liara's form. Reaper indoctrination couldn't even begin to measure up against this.

"Like what you see?" Again that husky voice, now paired with a sultry look thrown behind a shoulder.

Ferik licked dry lips, suddenly very glad that Liara hadn't chosen to be a dancer at one of the clubs. She would have never stood a chance against those curves, even with the galaxy at stake. Then again, it might be the fact that Liara had never acted this way before that was sending shivers up and down her spine. "Always…"

"Good…" Liara turned to face her and slid her hands up farther under the shirt, tilting her head back and arching her back as her fingers traveled upwards. The shirt was lifted inch by tantalizing inch, exposing skin much too slowly for Shepard's liking. She was straining against the biotic hold now.

"Patience…" The asari removed her shirt, revealing a neatly fitted black bra underneath that did almost nothing to hide her breasts. Ferik bit her lip, trying to find any shred of willpower she had left as Liara tossed the garment past her lover and brought her in closer.

Her face came closer, closer…and paused just before their lips touched. "I do seem to recall during one of our joinings that you were curious if I was able to mimic the asari dancers in Chora's Den." Shepard flushed, unable to look away from those enticing blue orbs. She had forgotten that particular thought, though it was very obvious that Liara hadn't. Part of her wondered where the asari had learned those moves. Part of her was afraid of the answer she might get: after all, she had been dead for two years. Who knew what Liara had been up to all that time?

Liara lowered her just enough to have her feet touch the ground before she pressed her body against Ferik's, undulating against her as a leg wrapped around the Spectre's hips. Her fingers danced a loving tattoo against the human's back, teasing and enticing through the thin fabric of the tank top, her lips placing feathery kisses along Shepard's neck and exposed shoulders. Ferik barely stifled a moan as the asari's fingers circled her breasts lightly with the occasional soft stroke across her nipples.

"Nnnn…"

"How am I doing?" Liara's voice was soft and sultry against her ear. Ferik lunged against the biotics, pushing them back a few inches before she was again held tightly in their embrace, the asari waggling a finger at her.

"Cheater," Shepard accused, desire and frustration plain on her face.

"You said you weren't sure if you could make it to the bathroom. I'm merely…helping." The asari grinned, putting her back to Shepard before pressing against her. A slender blue hand found a hold behind Shepard's head in her tank top, pulling the human against her as she rocked her hips back into Ferik's.

That was a bit too much. With a soft growl, Ferik summoned all of her strength and pressed against the biotics holding her in place. The blue glow shimmered for a moment before faltering, and Liara had enough time for a stunned look before the human had spun her around, crushing their lips together even as she walked both of them towards the bathroom.

The asari adapted quickly; her hands went for Shepard's tank top, tugging it up and over her lover's head with only a moment's break in the searing kiss. It had been her plan to distract Ferik from the thoughts plaguing her, but she had forgotten about the human's stubbornness when she knew what she wanted. On the battlefield this was generally a fatal mistake, but in the bedroom, it was the difference between being able to keep her head and being caught up in the wave of her lover's desire.

Shepard's mouth had moved to her neck; Liara inhaled a shuddering breath at the sharp bites being inflicted to sensitive skin. Her back hit solid wall, and it was difficult to focus enough to find the switch for the bathroom door with the unrelenting assault being visited upon her.

After a few moments of groping around on the wall and Ferik's kisses moving ever lower, she finally found the panel. Pressing the button had the wall section behind her moving and the asari stumbling backwards as her brace disappeared. Shepard didn't let up, almost tripping both of them in her pursuit.

The human's fingers had found the clasp for her bra and deftly unhooked it, arching a little to slide the garment off of her. Liara shivered as the cool air of the bathroom washed over her exposed breasts, and bit her lip as Ferik's mouth decided to explore a bit. She could feel herself losing control.

"Shepard," she managed, her voice a bit breathless with the attention being paid to her breasts. Shepard didn't even look up, her tongue working an ever-closing spiral over the asari's left breast. 'Stubborn woman,' Liara thought, arching with a gasp as Ferik's lips closed over her pert nipple and suckled hard.

"Ferik..." There was an edge of pleading now. Emerald eyes glanced up at her, though the human's tongue did not stop its assault.

"Clothing...need off..." Under normal circumstances, she was a rather eloquent speaker. But normal circumstances did not include a rather eager Spectre demonstrating how much she had missed her lover.

Ferik's tongue paused for a moment as the woman considered this: with a soft sigh over the wet nipple that had Liara sucking in a gasp, Shepard reluctantly released her. "No biotics," she warned, the tone in her voice promising swift retribution should the asari try.

"No biotics," Liara agreed, hands sliding up Shepard's back to unhook her bra and slide it off her shoulders. The human nestled up against her afterwards, the feeling of skin on skin a rather welcome one.

"Still need to remove your pants."

Ferik gave her a look, then hooked both thumbs in the waistband of her shorts and pulled down, taking outerwear and underwear in one fell swoop. It was kicked to the side unceremoniously, and before Liara could do the same to her own shorts, another pair of hands had beaten her there. The asari looked into green eyes that held quite a bit of mischief in them.

"Shepa-" The rest of her lover's name faded into a groan as Ferik kissed, licked and bit a way down from her neck to the top of her shorts. Liara closed her eyes, feeling the kisses being trailed around her waistband. There were a few questions she needed to ask her lover before they melded, but that...that could wait.

Ferik was taking her time, savoring each inch of skin that she slowly revealed and lavishing it with small kisses and nibbles. If Liara wanted to tease, she learned that there were consequences for teasing. Not that Shepard had minded the striptease...

She laid her palms flat against the asari's hips and slid them under the shorts, thumbs hooking into the waistband and peeling back the clingy material. A few bites along Liara's hips brought fingers that curled into fists near her vision. Ferik grinned. So she was trying to keep control...

In one fluid motion, she slid the shorts downwards, dipping her head to kiss a trail up from the asari's knees to the peak of her inner thighs. A soft mewl escaped Liara's throat, and Shepard felt an answering twinge in her own body.

She inhaled as she got closer to Liara's mound, smelling the heady arousal. It didn't take much for the two to excite each other; the right looks and glances from the other would have them squirming in their seats, waiting for some place and time to be alone together.

'Goddess, she's going to...no...not yet...' Liara groped blindly for the shower controls as her eyes met Shepard's. There was that mischief, but Liara's eyes held something behind the desire. What was it, Shepard wondered.

Ferik figured it out about the time the water hit her in the face. It was the same look Liara had when fighting the Shadow Broker. Determination and stubbornness, same as Shepard herself.

The water was a bit of a shock, though. It was ice cold; apparently there were some issues going on in engineering regarding immediate water heating. The Spectre yelped, diving out of the stream...and found herself facing the wall, hands pinned above her head by a single blue one.

"Hey!" There was a throaty chuckle just behind her, followed by a familiar blue glow around Ferik's wrists. "I thought we agreed: no biotics!"

"That was before you started changing the rules." The hand left her, and if Shepard wondered where Liara had gone, she soon got her answer when a warm, wet pointed sensation made its way from the bottom of her spine up to her neck. Ferik shuddered hard, goosebumps prickling on her skin from the cool breeze contrasting Liara's tongue.

"At...at least make the water hot."

She could -hear- the grin from the asari as hands made their way up her abdomen. "EDI?"

There was a pause. "Yes, Dr. T'soni? I was under the impression that you and Commander Shepard were to be left alone: Dr. Chakwas' orders."

"Liara..." Ferik warned under her breath. Liara's response was to slide callused fingers along her nipples, making her bite back a groan.

"EDI, could you warm up the water for us? It seems to be a bit cold." The asari's voice was pure innocence. Shepard attempted to shift into a more stable position while Liara was distracted; she was rewarded by a slender blue leg snaking between her own and pressing upwards. The Spectre bit her lip, forehead pushing against the tiled wall as she tried to keep her head.

Steam began rising from the floor near them. "Will you be needing anything else, Dr. T'soni?"

Ferik felt Liara's breasts press into her back as her lover pinned her against the wall. Hands braced against hers before that leg widened Shepard's legs just a bit more so that her knee could rise up and rub enticingly. An involuntary shudder rippled through the Spectre's body as warm breath floated across her ear.

"Will we be needing anything else, Commander?" The sultry purr into her ear combined with a shift in weight on the leg in between her thighs had Ferik not quite able to suppress that low moan. "Perhaps a camera for private viewing later?"

"Nnnn..." Forming words was getting harder, but the way her back tensed at the thought of being recorded told the asari all she needed to know. "That will be all, EDI. Please resume privacy mode."

"Resuming."

Liara kissed just behind Ferik's ear before sliding off of her slowly. Shepard was panting softly.

"You...are evil," Ferik managed, shooting the information broker a glare from under her captive arms. The asari just laughed as she picked up the soap and moved back to where Ferik was held in place, arms encircling her waist.

"Not evil. Just...manipulative at times." A swift nip to the side of her neck had Shepard's toes curling. "Besides, it's hard not to toy with you when you're so...vulnerable like that."

"You used to be nice." Ferik stuck her tongue out, and suddenly Liara was between her and the wall; apparently the asari had gotten faster in two years as well. "Stick out your tongue again and I'll put it to good use," she promised.

Shepard knew better than to test that assumption at this point. Instead, she just gave Liara a no-nonsense look. Hard to do when you were chained to a wall with biotics and trying to keep control against a wave of desire that wanted you to do nothing more than have the blue-skinned woman in front of you making tracks down your back and screaming your name. Besides, there was still the matter of why Liara had shown up so suddenly in her quarters.

"Alright, alright, I give. You win. What's got you being kinky?" Shepard tried to blow a piece of wet hair out of her eyes and failed miserably. "Also, what are you doing here?" Her eyes traveled down Liara's nude form appreciatively. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you."

The asari smiled, stroking back the offending bit of hair from Ferik's face. "For one, waking you up. I think I've gotten the sedative out of your system at this point."

"Sedat-..." Ferik blinked softly, then swore. "I -knew- that food tasted a bit off. I'm going to have a talk with Chakwas and Gardner later about this."

"Don't blame them. They were worried about you. They even sent me a message and flew the Normandy over here in an effort to help you."

Shepard's eyebrow rose. "That does make sense, but...how is pinning me to the wall helping me again? You've lost me on that part."

"I don't see you fighting your inner demons right now, do you?" Liara gave her a large grin. Shepard just grumbled.

"Are you going to tease me all night and leave me wound up with nowhere to go?"

The asari leaned in, gently pressing her lips to Ferik's. "No. But you had expressed a worry with being dirty, and I plan to get you clean." Her eyes flickered with a bit of concern; it was only for a moment, but Shepard didn't miss it.

"Something else is on your mind." Her libido was still tuned, but without the constant teasing it was starting to ebb to more controllable levels.

Liara chewed her lower lip. "I...came across some information while I was digging through the databases. Some things I wanted to speak to you about." Another flicker of worry. "I could learn them through melding, but..."

"But you wanted to hear them out of my mouth rather than dig them out of my mind." Ferik finished her thought for her. The asari simply nodded.

Shepard looked into her eyes for a moment, then leaned forward, pressing her forehead against Liara's. "No secrets."

"No secrets," Liara echoed, kissing her once more before moving to shift the angle of water. The droplets playing across Shepard's back brought a soft sigh to her lips, heat starting to penetrate through to the sore muscles.

"I promise not to break the biotics if you promise not to tease me to the point of distraction." That got a chuckle from the asari. "Deal."


	4. Joining

The next time Liara's hands slid along her skin, it left suds in its wake. The touch still had Ferik arching into it, but it was a gentler sensation, not a desire that burned away her consciousness. Though, Shepard had to admit, feeling those hands working their way up her legs was definitely waking up her nerves.

"What did you want to know?" The Spectre glanced over her shoulder as Liara's hands moved over her breasts, soaping them up thoroughly. There were a few teasing passes over her nipples, but the asari was being nice.

"Just a few rumors that came through the line." Liara smiled softly, hands sliding down Shepard's sides and over her hips. "You know, the kind that can be blown out of proportion. I've seen everything from you beating a krogan in an arm-wrestling competition to surviving an encounter with an Ardat-Yakshi." She shook her head and chuckled, starting to massage the Spectre's back. "Some people have too much imagination."

"That last one wasn't imagined." Ferik's voice was soft, but it didn't go unheard.

The asari's hands paused in their ministrations. "...what did you say?"

Shepard cleared her throat, eyes now fixed on the wall. "The encounter with the Ardat-Yakshi wasn't just an idle rumor. That actually happened."

Before Ferik knew what was happening, the biotics had disappeared from her wrists and she had been spun to face Liara, the asari's eyes now wide. "...Shepard, please tell me you're joking."

The Spectre forced herself to look her lover in the eyes, though she was starting to have a sinking feeling in her gut. "I wouldn't joke about this kind of thing, Liara."

"You..." Liara let go of her, starting to pace in the shower. "Shepard, I knew you stuck your neck out a lot, but an -Ardat-Yakshi-? Were you trying to get killed? Do you know what they can do? What made you decide to get involved?"

"I...owed someone a favor." It wasn't a good reason, and Shepard knew it. Seeing the ripple of biotics across her lover's skin meant that the asari was starting to unconsciously build up a charge: not something that boded well for the Spectre.

"Who? Who made you go after an Ardat-Yakshi? I swear, Ferik, when I find them..."

Ferik sighed softly, eyes starting to study the tile at her feet. "If you want to go talk to her, Samara's on the third deck of the ship in the starboard observation room. She's the resident asari justicar and probably meditating right about now."

"Justicar or not, what made her think..." Liara stopped pacing and turned to face her, brows furrowing. "Were you hurt? Did she use biotics on you? I've heard stories..." Concerned hands began poking and prodding every inch of her.

"Samara was hunting her daughter, Morinth. She got a tip where Morinth might be, but she needed a way to draw her out of hiding. If Samara showed up, Morinth would run and she'd lose her for another hundred years or so." Shepard closed her eyes in anticipation; she could sense what would happen next. Liara was far from stupid.

"..." Sure enough, once the wheels clicked Ferik felt herself almost slammed against the wall, Liara's hands digging into her shoulders hard enough to make her wince. "You...you were..." The frustration and anger in the asari's voice was making it hard for her to speak. "You were BAIT? I should...I should..."

Shepard opened one eye to survey the damage. Liara was -not- happy. The blue glow that had been content to just ripple along her skin now hummed around her like a swarm of angry bees just waiting to be unleashed.

"Samara didn't make me go, Liara. I volunteered."

"You...volunteered...to be bait. For an Ardat-Yakshi." Liara's voice had gone quiet. Dangerously quiet.

"I never said it was a -good- plan."

"Plan? You call making yourself bait for an Ardat-Yakshi a good plan? Hell, Shepard, why don't you just go waltzing nude into a Thresher Maw nest, it'd be safer!" Ferik cringed, the jab hitting a bit too close to home for her after the past few weeks. The asari released her immediately and took a few steps back, giving the Spectre room to breathe.

"Goddess, I..." Liara shook her head, eyes wide as she stared at her lover. "Shepard..." Her mouth worked for a few moments, biotics roiling around her nude form before finally coming to a head with the frustration and anger warring inside her.

Her fist slammed into the opposite wall, leaving a rather sizable hole in the tiling as the biotics punched through to the other side and a bit beyond before the blue glow surrounding her flickered and faded. The warning cry of a siren sounded for a few moments below them before Joker's voice came on the intercom.

"What the hell are you two doing up there? Here I am, minding my own business, and next thing I know EDI's telling me we've got a direct hit on the bulkhead that came from inside the ship! Are you two fighting or -" The pilot's voice trailed off into silence, and Shepard and Liara both stared at the ceiling in dismay as they realized that EDI must have accessed a few cameras to explain to him the situation.

There were a few long moments before the sound of a cough and a hastily cleared throat. "I...see. Um. Huh." Joker paused. "Try not to damage the bulkhead too much, uh, during your...activities. Yeah. I'll...leave you two to it. And dammit, EDI, shut off the feed!"

Liara's eyes found Shepard's, the frustration that had been in those blue orbs now replaced with embarrassment. "I...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

The Spectre closed the distance between them, laying a hand on her arm. "No. You're right to be upset; it was a stupid plan. Especially when I had to go along with it to the point of being invited to her apartment alone and accepting the invitation."

The asari's eyes narrowed, a spark starting to rekindle within them. "Ferik, am I going to have to get agents to follow you just to make sure you don't get into trouble?"

"It all worked out." Shepard offered a sheepish smile, fingers lightly squeezing Liara's bicep. "Apparently I can resist an Ardat-Yakshi."

Liara's brow furrowed as she processed this new information, the fire in her eyes replaced by a bit of confusion. "...you..."

"Resisted an Ardat-Yakshi? Yes." Ferik met her gaze. "I won't lie to you and say that part of me didn't want to be her slave, that part of me didn't find her incredibly attractive."

"Then how did you..." A single finger laid across Liara's lip interrupted the rest of her thought as Shepard leaned in close, looking into her eyes.

"She wanted me to tell her that I wanted her. That I would do anything for her. That I would kill for her." Ferik shook her head. "But I wasn't hers to control."

"Ferik, what do you..."

"The only person who has that kind of control over me is you, Liara. Only you." The Spectre smiled softly, removing her finger from Liara's lips and stepping back, arms spreading wide. "Any other questions?"

The asari shook her head, staring at her for a long moment before finally making up her mind. One long stride had her against the human and pressing her against the wall, lips finding Ferik's with a hunger that could no longer be held at bay.

"First driving the Mako through a mass relay, now flirting with an Ardat-Yakshi. Is there anything you do that doesn't endanger your life?" The question was almost growled against her lips.

Shepard grinned softly. "Well, you and I haven't danced nude for a crowd of aroused krogan in a ship that's about to explode while Reapers bombard the fleet around us, so that's something still on the checklist. Showering used to be safe until I managed to frustrate the Shadow Broker so much that she punched a hole in my wall and almost took out part of the bulkhead."

"You deserved that," Liara muttered against her lips, fingers dancing against the small of her back before settling over her rump and squeezing. "I should teach you a lesson."

"I thought you already were," Ferik replied innocently, draping her arms about Liara's waist. "Patience, wasn't it?"

"Bah." The asari kissed her neck lightly before moving down to tweak her nipples. "Like you'd ever learn."

"I might." Ferik grinned. "I could surprise you."

"Or you'll turn me into a matriarch 500 years before my time." Liara gave her a look before leaning in to suckle on a breast. The Spectre closed her eyes and let the wall take most of her weight while her lover's tongue danced about her nipple.

"You'd still look amazing."

A soft bite to her breast made her yelp in surprise, eyes flying open to meet those deep pools. They had been joking, but the look in Liara's eyes made her heart beat just a bit faster. Even without the teasing, beyond the desire, there was something that the asari and she shared that words in a thousand languages had tried and failed to describe since the beginning of time. Her hands sought Liara's instinctively, fingers interlacing for a few moments.

"Stay with me," Liara murmured softly, holding Ferik's gaze for a long moment before kissing a trail downwards. Her nose pressed against Shepard's stomach as she waited for a reply.

"Wasn't planning on leaving." Shepard managed, fingers stroking along the asari's crest. "You'd drag me back in a heartbeat anyway."

"Damn right I would." Another bite, just below the bellybutton, and a hint of mischief in Liara's gaze. The asari had become much more bold in the years following Ferik's death, and Shepard had a feeling that she was about to find out just how much she had been missed.

Fingers curled around her inner thighs, easing them open before warm breath brushed against her lower lips. Ferik exhaled shakily, seeking purchase on the slick wall behind her. Why hadn't they installed hand holds for the showers in the Normandy?

_Because they hadn't exactly planned on the captain or the crew using the showers as a means of fraternization._

A throaty chuckle came from the asari kneeling in front of her, and Shepard felt the tingling glow of biotics encasing her hands and holding her fast to the wall. Liara had apparently developed a twisted sense of humor too. Ferik started to thank her, but fingers peeled back the petals of her inner flower and she only had time to brace herself before Liara's tongue began exploring in earnest.

Shocks of pleasure pulsed up from nerves long neglected, and Shepard moaned softly, nails biting into her palms behind the biotics. She didn't know if the asari had taken any lovers in the two years she had been dead, but Liara seemed to be stroking every nerve in just the right way to make Ferik weak in the knees.

Her tongue danced across the small nub nestled beneath a bit of skin, and Shepard's toes curled, hips bucking into Liara's ministrations. She could feel pricks of pain where her nails had broken the skin of her hands, but the sting was easily lost in the ripples of pleasure curving up her spine. She tried to talk, but the only thing that came out was another soft moan.

Ferik managed to look down, fighting the urge to arch against the wall, and was rewarded by her lover's deep blue eyes looking back. Liara was obviously enjoying making her writhe, and the desire written across her face sent yet another shudder down Shepard's spine.

"Enjoying yourself?" The asari's tongue snaked out in another slow, loving lap of her sex, and the combined sensations of the look in her eyes, the sultry purr of her voice, and the warm, wet feeling of the muscle sliding along her most sensitive areas overcame the last of her strength. Shepard's knees buckled, the biotics around her hands dissipating as Liara caught her in her arms, though the combined weight of the two sent them to the floor, Shepard on top.

"I suppose that's a yes," the asari murmured against her ear. Shepard felt a surge of energy; she shifted against her lover, seeking out the soft blue lips with her own as her fingers danced their way from Liara's neck to the bottom of her crest. Liara gasped softly, arching against the Spectre on top of her. Another slow stroke as Ferik kissed along the tendrils sweeping back, the human's knee easily nudging azure thighs aside.

"Shepard..." Ferik pressed upwards with her leg, nipping a tendril in process, and was rewarded with a sharp gasp as the asari arched into her. She had done a bit of 'research' since coming back to life, and it looked like the vids EDI had provided her with were more accurate than she could have hoped.

"I want to hear you say it." Shepard's voice was low and breathless against her lover's ear, leg rubbing and pressing in all the right ways. Liara moaned, fingers digging into the Spectre's back.

"Say...what..."

"You know what I'm asking for." A rock of her hips against the asari's brought forth a strangled cry; Liara was starting to writhe underneath her, desperate for release as Ferik nibbled and sucked along her crest. Shepard shifted to pin Liara underneath her, preventing her from moving, and felt the tingle of biotics against her skin. A sharp bite to her tendrils, and the tingling was gone; it was difficult for biotics to be maintained without concentration, and Shepard didn't plan to give her lover the time needed.

"Nnnnn..." Liara's voice was almost a whine, fingers pressing into Shepard's back as she tried to find a way, any way for the Spectre to continue her ministrations. Being teased like this was maddening, and both of them knew it.

"Not so nice when the tables are turned, hm?" Shepard made sure her lips brushed against the tendrils again; Liara's nails dug into her skin.

"Shepard...please..." The whine had turned into outright begging, fingers kneading the back of the woman pinning her to the floor.

"Say it." A press of her knee up into the asari and a slight rub. It was calculated pressure, just enough to tease, not enough to drive her over the edge.

"Goddess, please..."

"Appreciated, but still not it..." Her lips ghosted along tendrils now as she drew back just enough to look down into Liara's eyes, a slight smirk on her lips. The asari's eyes were clouded with pleasure as she gazed up into emerald depths framed by hair the color of fire. Shepard saw the realization strike her, and the smirk widened just a bit.

"Say it, Liara, and I'll unpin you." Her tone was teasing, but there was a weight of truth in her statement too. Liara heard it as well. The asari's eyes closed as she relaxed slightly, drawing into herself.

Her voice was a quiet purr as fingers stroked back Shepard's hair, nails digging into her scalp just enough to excite. Shepard faltered just for a moment; a moment was all that was needed. Liara erupted upwards, driving her back against the wall and pinning her there. Ferik's thigh was still in between her legs, but the slow grind against it had the Spectre groaning more than the asari.

"_Commander_..." Her own thigh pressed up into Shepard, and now it was Ferik's turn to dig nails into her lover's back. Their eyes met, mirrored pools of desire caught in their need for one another.

"Join with me." Her voice was husky, her body pressed against Shepard's even as her hips rocked against her. It wasn't a request.

"Always.." Ferik didn't blink as Liara closed her eyes for a moment, reaching deep within herself. Even the motion of her hips stilled as the asari tapped into her powers. When her eyes opened again, they were an inky black, and as Shepard looked into those obsidian depths, she could feel the lines between herself and the asari blurring.

Her hand sought Liara's, squeezing tight, and felt both the sensation of her muscles tightening around the asari's hand and an equally strong hand tightening around hers. Their nerves were starting to echo each other. It was something that Shepard didn't think she could ever explain to anyone who had not experienced joining.

The kisses they placed along each other's bodies were softer now, but still enticing, the feeling sending nerve signals racing along in pleasure. Nipples were brushed, breasts were cupped, the world spun around them; someone's back pressed against a wall and both of them were being bathed in warm droplets as they explored each other completely.

_Touch me..._

_Where?_

_Anywhere..._

_Here?_

_Yesss..._

_Nnn..._

_Don't stop._

_Never._

_Stay._

_Always._

The pleasure was building to a crescendo as each stroke, each grind, each rub echoed itself in full. Shepard wasn't sure who was pleasuring who, wasn't sure if there were thighs or fingers or biotics involved in the thrum of her nerves building up to an impending release, and honestly, she didn't care. Muscles intertwined, heated kisses stolen, and half-coherent murmurs lost in the water rushing over them.

_Mine. (Yours)_

_Yours. Always yours. (Mine)_

_Stay with me._

_Here. Not yet._

_Can't..._

_Not yet._

_Please..._

_Hold on..._

_Slipping...can't..._

_Now._

Their bodies arched in unison as twin spires of pleasure wrapped around each other, echoing down into their cores. At some point they had moved from the wall to the floor again; neither one knew when, but they were not asari and human for the moment. There was a vague sense of Ferik and Liara, but for the most part they just -were-, coiled around each other like an ouroboros without an ending or beginning as the staccato bursts of aftershocks rippled throughout them.

They stayed like that for a little while, just listening to the sound of each other's breathing as it evened out and enjoying the feel of skin on skin contact. Ferik's lips brushed lightly against Liara's neck as she sighed softly. "I don't want to move, but I don't want to sleep on the bathroom floor either."

"Mm." Liara's fingers traced the curve of her spine. She had always enjoyed the weight of her lover pressing into her. "We could stumble our way over to your bed."

"You're assuming my muscles will last that long." Ferik kissed the side of her neck before reluctantly rolling off of her so the asari could get up. Liara smiled, getting to her feet and offering the Spectre a hand up.

"Are you saying you can't make such a short walk to the bed yourself?"

Ferik took the offered hand and attempted to get to her feet; her legs, however, were having none of it. Instead of standing, she more or less fell into the asari. Thankfully, they weren't very far away from a wall, and Liara managed to brace herself and Shepard before they went over again.

"Answer your question?"

Liara chuckled. "That it does. But I have a solution to that problem." Before Ferik could protest, the asari bent down, sliding an arm under her legs and lifting upwards. Shepard yelped slightly, arms wrapping instinctively around Liara's neck.

"What are you doing?"

"Carrying you." The asari grinned. "You did suggest it earlier."

"Mmmnf." Ferik just nuzzled into the crook of her neck, not putting up a fight as Liara carried her bridal-style across the room and laid her gently down on the bed before sliding in next to her. Shepard's eyes were already starting to feel heavy again.

"Which side do you want?" Liara murmured in her ear. Ferik's response was to wiggle her way backwards until her back was pressed against Liara's chest, then dragging the asari's hands down to her waist and lacing fingers with her. She could tell her about the dreams in the morning; it was doubtful that they'd haunt her any more tonight.

Liara shifted behind her, pulling the sheets over both of them before snuggling into Shepard. "Good night, Ferik," she murmured in the Spectre's ear, kissing just below her earlobe. The human mumbled a response, sleep already claiming its awaited victim.


	5. Epilogue

Kelly had been listening to the rumors going around the ship since late last night. She'd known something was bothering the Commander, even if she couldn't get her to open up about it. But finding out Dr. Chakwas had sedated Shepard? It was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

No one on the bridge batted an eye as the yeoman walked calmly into the elevator, finger stroking the key for the loft. Had Shepard been able to get out of her clothes before the sedative kicked in? If she hadn't, Kelly was ready and able to assist her with that task.

The elevator doors hissed open as the yeoman held her breath. If the commander's quarters were locked, it would be near impossible to force them open without drawing EDI's attention. But luck was on her side; the access panel glowed a soft green.

"Please be asleep, please be asleep..." Kelly muttered to herself as she placed her hand against the access panel. The doors slid noiselessly open, revealing the commander's quarters to the yeoman's bright eyes.

She had never been up here before; seeing Shepard's room was seeing an entirely different side of the commander than what was written in her psych report. Colorful fish swam through an aquarium on the left side of the loft, their environment lit by pale fluorescents. A small hamster poked its head out as the yeoman moved farther into the room, wonder easily overtaking her caution. Ship's models... Kelly hadn't known the Commander collected them, but there was an entire wall of them, ranging from Turian designs to a Sovereign replica.

As Kelly got closer, she noticed the steps leading downwards...and the bed pressed against the far wall. Her breath caught in her throat as she noted the halo of fiery red that framed the Commander's sleeping face. A bare shoulder peeked out from the disheveled sheets, hinting at so much more underneath.

The yeoman licked her lips and steeled herself. She'd come too far to turn back now. Her feet found the steps leading downwards, eyes fixed on the sleeping angel in the bed. She had to be dreaming. She did.

Kelly was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't hear the bathroom door hiss open behind her, nor notice the figure leaving in a cloud of steam. All she had eyes for was her Commander, lost in sleep and utterly defenseless. She took another step forward. And another. And...

Just before she could reach the bed, the yeoman felt a tingling sensation envelop her form. She chalked it up to nerves...until she realized that she couldn't move. Looking down revealed a cocoon of blue energy surrounding her. It was about that time Kelly realized that there was someone else in the room besides her and the Commander.

The yeoman was picked up off the ground, feet dangling as she slowly spun around to face her captor. Kelly swallowed hard as she met Liara's intense blue eyes, a soft whimper escaping her throat as she realized that the other woman wasn't wearing anything but a glower.

"Can I help you?" The asari's voice was quiet, but it held a note of irritation that the yeoman didn't miss. Kelly's eyes darted downwards, taking in the expanse of bared blue skin in front of her.

_In so many ways..._

"I was just...checking on the Commander." Kelly smiled in what she hoped was innocence; it was never a good idea to get on a biotic's bad side.

"Does the Commander often let you check on her?"

"Well, uh, that is..." The yeoman's smile faltered for a moment. Liara's lips curved upwards in a devious smile.

"Perhaps we should ask her."

"What? I...that won't be..." Kelly stammered as the woman walked past her, biotics turning her yet again and keeping her captive. She stared as the asari bent over the bed, murmuring something into Shepard's ear, oblivious to the yeoman's small whimper as her eyes slowly took in the other woman's curves. The yeoman had remembered something about an asari in Shepard's psych report, but not in this kind of detail.

Shepard shifted in her sleep as Liara's lips brushed against her ear. "Nnn." Her arms groped blindly for the body attached to those lips, shifting the sheets down to her chest in the process. Kelly tried to suppress a whimper. "Not ready to get up yet..."

"You have a visitor."

"Mmf?" Her fingers stroked bare skin as one eye opened, taking in the asari's state of undress. Ferik allowed herself a small smile; she wasn't sure how she had managed to be so lucky, but she certainly wasn't about to start questioning it now.

"You're not dressed..." There was a playful quality to her remark as her hands trailed along Liara's legs enticingly.

"The visitor was...unexpected." Liara gently stopped the hands from wandering further: that, and the tone of Liara's voice had Shepard pulling herself up from sleep's clutches and pushing herself up into a sitting position, rubbing her eyes as the sheets pooled around her waist. The yeoman squirmed futilely.

"Liara, can't you just ask them to come back la-" She blinked as the room cleared, giving her a view of Kelly Chambers floating in mid-air, biotics glowing along her form. "Two questions: why is my ship's counselor in my quarters, and why are you levitating her with your biotics?"

"That is a very good question." Liara crooked a finger, bringing Kelly closer to the bed. "I thought you might want to ask her yourself."

Kelly squirmed as the emerald depths of her Commander's eyes met her own. It was hard to meet that gaze, harder still not to let her eyes go wandering across the skin that had been exposed when she had sat up. The sheets lay dormant around Shepard's waist, the peaks and valleys of her chest and the curve of her abdomen lay bare for inspection.

"Kelly..." The warning in her voice forced the yeoman's eyes back up to her face.

"Yes, Commander?" She tried to sound innocent, but it came out as a squeak.

"What in the nine hells are you doing in my quarters?" The question was as hard and direct as a smack across the face. Kelly flinched.

"I was checking up on you?" It wasn't a reason, it was a question that she hoped would serve as a reason. She forced her lips into a grin. "I thought you might need some help..."

_Or a partner..._

Shepard just stared hard at the yeoman. Kelly cringed under the withering glare.

"What should we do with her?" Liara's voice was pitched just loud enough for the yeoman to hear as she kissed Shepard's cheek, a hand sliding around the Spectre's waist. The yeoman's eyes followed its path downwards. "She has seen me nude... Out the airlock, perhaps?"

"C-Commander?" Kelly swallowed hard, shifting as much as the biotics would allow. She had just been kidding around. Wanting to catch a peek of the famed Commander Shepard, but what sane person wouldn't? Shepard gave her an appraising look that sent cold fear down her spine. "Commander, you wouldn't..."

Ferik exchanged a look with Liara before flopping down and pulling the sheets over her head. "Do whatever you want with her. Just let me sleep." With that one simple command, the yeoman was now left to the mercy of her lover.

"Commander?" Kelly's voice was starting to quaver.

Liara stood slowly, an almost predatory grin on her face as she stalked towards the counselor. Kelly whimpered, eyes wide with fear. Her feet backpedalled uselessly in midair.

"Commander, please! I don't...please!" The asari walked past her again, the biotics turning the captive yeoman and levitating her slowly in the woman's wake. Kelly was starting to fight the blue glow surrounding her, panic setting in. Was this how it was going to end for her, saved from the Collectors only to be spaced?

She was too busy trying to figure out where it had all gone wrong with her life to notice the bathroom door hissing open, admitting Liara and her captive. The asari slipped over to the back wall, biotics pulling the counselor into position.

"I think you need to cool off a bit." The words pulled the yeoman out of her stunned state. Kelly had enough time for a shocked stare, lips starting to move before Liara's fingers tapped out a sequence on the panel.

#

Shepard had been getting comfortable until a ear-splitting shriek split the peace and quiet of her quarters. She leapt up, leaving the comfort of her sheets just in time to see a soaking wet Kelly Chambers come half-sprinting, half-crawling out of the bathroom, clothes hanging limply from her form as she gasped for air between sobs. The counselor skidded on the slick floor, narrowly avoiding the fish tank as she scrambled for the door and through it. The only evidence of her passing was a trail of water leading from the bathroom to the exit.

Ferik blinked, not entirely sure what to make of what had just transpired. Seeing Liara exit the bathroom a moment later, fighting to contain her laughter, did explain a few things. She raised an eyebrow at her lover.

"What exactly did you do to her?"

The asari was struggling to breathe, body shaking with laughter. "She was panicking about the possibility of being thrown out of an airlock, so I decided to calm her down a bit. She has an even better reaction to cold water than you do!" Liara giggled madly, leaning against the wall as she made her way back down the stairs.

Shepard just shook her head, unable to stop a grin from spreading across her face. "You're evil, you know that?"

Liara grinned, wrapping arms around her lover's waist and dragging her back onto the bed. "Mmm. You like me that way, though."

"If you want to get technical, I like you all ways," Ferik clarified, nuzzling against her cheek. "I'm just hoping you didn't traumatize my ship counselor."

"She needed to be taught a lesson for sneaking into your quarters." Liara's fingers traced her jawline lightly. "Unless you let the crew see you nude often?" Her tone was light and playful.

Ferik snorted. "Kelly's now seen more of you than she ever has of me." Her arms wrapped around the asari, tightening a bit. "A girl could get jealous."

"As jealous as knowing that your lover had an encounter with the Consort Sha'ira?" Shepard tensed against her, eyes seeking out the asari's. It was hard to read the emotion in those brilliant blue eyes.

"Liara, that was over two years ago. I hadn't met you yet and-" A slender digit laid across her lips quieted her explanation as Liara smiled.

"I know." The asari smiled softly. "I figured I wasn't your first. Part of me hoped, but the past is the past."

"If I had known then what I do now, I wouldn't have," Ferik replied, finding Liara's hands and lacing fingers with her. "I...I can see why people go to her for comfort, but..."

"But?"

Ferik managed a wry smile. "She doesn't hold a candle to you."

Liara laughed. "Now you're just going for flattery."

"I'm not!" Shepard protested. "The time before Ilos, the times after... She might have experience, but that's all she has!"

"Mmm. You're biased," Liara murmured, pushing the Spectre down into the bed and straddling her hips. "Not that I'm complaining."

The Spectre leaned up, lips starting to kiss a trail along her lover's neck. "I'll show you bias..." A soft bite under her lover's ear had Liara gasping before the asari's fingers pulled her head upwards into a searing kiss, mouth warm and welcoming.

They broke for air a few moments later. Liara glanced upwards briefly, fighting for a moment of willpower as Ferik's hands began exploring in earnest. "EDI?"

"Yes, Dr. T'soni?"

"Lock the door. We're going to be a while."


End file.
